Star Wars introduced its first transgender 'stormtrooper' in a move that has left fans of the beloved sci-fi franchise divided.
Called 'Sister', she is dressed in armor painted in the blue and pink of the transgender flag, and was portrayed for the first time in a new book released earlier this week.
The dreadlocked soldier first appeared in a reference in a prequel 2022 novel, 'A Queen's Hope', before being depicted in a work of fan art.
Now, her story and photo have been featured in Star Wars: Secrets of the Clone Troopers – which has added her to the franchise's official lore.
But the addition of the new character has left fans of the saga from the galaxy far, far away divided, with some branding him 'utterly insane'. cult worship genre' and 'idiotic', while others raged, was a 'crazy take'.
Star Wars introduced its first transgender 'stormtrooper' in a move that has left fans of the beloved sci-fi franchise divided.
Nicknamed 'Sister', the character first appeared in a 2022 novel and a work of fan art (pictured) before being added to official Star Wars lore at the new book's release earlier this week
Not everyone was supportive of the new character, with some expressing their anger online
“I remember when #StarWars was about space wizards, epic adventures and lightsaber fights. Now that's… that', one person on X got angry.
Others appeared to criticize Disney, which owns the franchise, for allowing the character to become canon, labeling Star Wars 'woke garbage'.
Gaming News YouTuber The ArchCast was among those to ridicule the change, saying in a video: “Finally, what every Star Wars fan has begged and cried for for years and years has come true.
'What is that? Good storytelling? A focus on Thrawn perhaps, or the force, Jedi, the Emperor or any of those things? Oh no, no, no, you idiots and evil fanatics. I'm talking about the first transgender stormtrooper.
Criticizing the measure, he added: “There was no reaction from Disney, nothing. Absolutely nothing. Once again, “awesome and courageous” – the most oppressed minority, is truly the one who gets everything at once, if they ask for anything.
Another person on social media added: “Wow, my friends and I were talking about what could save this franchise aaaannnnnddd, this wasn't it.”
The Sister was first introduced in the 2022 book A Queen's Hope, having been created on the planet Kamino to fight for the Galactic Republic.
She is one of many clone troopers, who appear in Star Wars Episodes II and III, portraying Anakin Skywalker's transformation into the iconic villain, Darth Vader.
Little is known about the character, except that she served alongside Skywalker (played by Hayden Christensen) and his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) during the Clone Wars.
Little is known about the character, except that she served alongside Skywalker (played by Hayden Christensen, left) and his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor, right).
She is one of the clone troopers, who appeared in the second and third films of the prequel series in the early 2000s.
Pictured are young clone troops being trained during a scene from Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones
She later appeared in fan art that was adopted as her official appearance in Star Wars: Secrets of the Clone Troopers, released this week.
The book is intended to be an illustrated encyclopedia for children and is written from the perspective of another Star Wars character, Captain Rex from the Disney+ animation, Bad Batch.
A description of her in the book, given by Rex, says: “When one of our species expressed her gender identity differently than her fellow soldiers, she felt she would have to hide who she really was inside. Fortunately, her brothers in the 7th Sky Corps gave her the name 'Sister' as a constant reminder that she belonged.'
Despite the online fury, others welcomed the character and advocated for her to be officially cemented in the franchise's extensive lore.
'Star Wars fans need to learn not to be weird. This is amazing,” wrote one person on X.
Another added: “Despite gender fluidity and sex changes being classic sci-fi tropes, people will still find a way to bitch and moan about it.”
Sister isn't the only transgender character in Star Wars. Ceret and twin Terec are 'trans non-binary' Jedi Knights who previously appeared in 2021's The High Republic 2.
A Star Wars Instagram post for International Transgender Day of Visibility in 2021 later confirmed their pronouns and status as trans non-binary.
